Iowa State irony

So is this Jamie Pollard’s idea of a joke?

If it is, I love this guy.

A week after losing his head football coach to Auburn University, the Iowa State Director of Athletics is introducing Paul Rhoads as his new head coach of the Cyclones. Why is this so funny?

Well, Rhoads was the defensive coordinator for the Tigers last season, a job Gene Chizik held just a few years ago.

Let’s be honest, Rhoads does not have the coaching cred that Chizik had when he arrived in Ames. But don’t overlook the good work Rhoads has done. He did an excellent job at Pittsburgh, with minimal talent. He also put together the scheme that kept West Virginia out of the BCS Championship last year with that magnificent defensive performance in Morgantown in the season finale.

His Auburn defense was also strong this season, but the offense was so bad the job he did was overlooked. That seems to be his curse. While his defenses do well the teams he is with are usually bad.

A factor that could make him a better fit than Chizik ever was at ISU is that fact that Rhoads is an Iowa native, coached the secondary for the Cyclones in the late 1990s and he understands the challenges of Iowa State.

Joke or not, this is a pretty good hire. Iowa State may have gotten the better end of this deal. And $750K from Auburn to top it off.